Castle Of Wonders
by thronestories
Summary: A retelling of Harry's time at Hogwarts. New stories, new friends, and new enemies. How will Harry deal with being thrown into a strange world where danger lurks behind every corner.
1. The Gift

**Chapter 1: THE GIFT**

Harry Potter shuffled down the busy streets of Diagon Alley carrying his new school supplies. It was just the other day that the large Hagrid had busted down his door and delivered the news to him that he was a wizard. Fast forward to the present time, and he had just bought a thick wand from Mr. Ollivander.

Harry stopped in front of Flourish and Blotts, which Hagrid had told him was the best bookstore in London. Although Harry was excited to begin his first year at Hogwarts, he was never taught to read growing up, and feared being mocked by his fellow classmates. Harry turned away from the window and almost ran into a woman standing behind him. She was tall and curvy, and had a large pair of tatas that jiggled as she laughed.

"Hey sweetie, you lookin' for a good time?" she croaked like a toad.

"No thanks, I need to find my friend," Harry said.

"Ok," the witch moaned, "but I saw the way you looked at me, and as Mr. Ollivander always says, 'The wand chooses the wizard.'"

Harry having no idea what she meant scurried off back toward the entrance of Diagon Alley. He put down the box that his new wand was in, along with the textbooks he was also carrying. He looked down the street and took in his surroundings. Wizards and witches sure did like to wear funny hats, and a goblin holding hands with an elderly woman really made Harry take a second look.

"Ay 'arry, you get a wand," he heard a rough masculine voice ask.

Harry turned to his large friend Hagrid and grinned, "I sure did, Mr. Ollivander said it was a good one!"

"Well I be happy for you 'arry," Hagrid smiled big, "you have anything else on your list?"

Before Harry could tell Hagrid the last thing he needed, a creepy voice cut him off.

"I know what you need boy," the person said.

Harry turned the other direction to see a withered up, old man sitting in a puddle against the brick walls of Diagon Alley. The man stunk and was wearing bright yellow rainboots.

"What would that be?" Harry asked curiously.

"Don't talk to strangers 'arry!" Hagrid barked like a dog, "you can't trust all wizards you come across."

"Yes," the old man remarked, "not all wizards are good, in fact, I have seen quite a few bad ones in my lifetime, but I can assure ye that I am a goodhearted man that only wishes to give you a gift that would greatly benefit you while you're at Hogwarts."

"Be careful 'arry" Hagrid warned.

"It's ok Hagrid," Harry assured him, "I'm not afraid." He turned to the old man and nodded his head, and the old man nodded in return.

His eyes quickly darted to the yellow rainboot that was on his right foot. He wrapped his long fingers around it and yanked it off.

"OH MY PETUNIA!" Harry shouted looking at the old man's foot. Harry had never seen so many toes in his life. It was unbelievable; it was as if the man had hit the toe jackpot.

"It looks like you have twenty-eight toes!" Harry exclaimed.

"Twenty-nine!" the old man shouted.

"How will this help me at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, "Hagrid, did we forget an ingredient for Potions class?"

As Harry completed his sentence the old man pulled out a rusty saw from behind him and smirked at him with all three teeth.

"'arry stand back!" Hagrid shouted as he pulled Harry behind him raising his pink umbrella at the man.

"No need to be afraid," the old man said, "it's a gift." He then started sawing at his toe jackpot screaming in laughter.

Harry stood there in disbelief. He had never seen such a sight. Was this what he would expect to see at Hogwarts. He looked at the ground and saw three toes had already been sawed off.

The old man looked at Harry crazed, "YE WANT ME TOES?" he screamed.

People within Diagon Alley had begun to take notice of what was happening. Gasps could be heard throughout the street. Mothers covering the eyes of their young children, and teenagers cackling at the craziness they were witnessing.

"YE WANT ME TOES?" the old man screamed again, "PICK ME TOES UP. IT'S ME GIFT TO YOU!"

"Let's get out of here 'arry," Hagrid puffed, forcibly grabbing Harry to come along with him. Harry looked back at the old man, but Hagrid twisted his head back the other direction and pushed him along.

"I don't want to ever see you talk to another stranger, you hear me?" Hagrid angrily pouted. Harry nodded his head as he heard one last scream.

"DON'T FORGET YE TOES!"


	2. Skirmish Over The Lake

**Chapter 2: SKIRMISH OVER THE LAKE**

Harry was walking through the terminal of King's Cross looking for his departure platform. Platform 9 ¾, something wasn't adding up. He saw Platform 9 and Platform 10, but there was no 9 ¾. Harry began to feel anxious, the train would be leaving soon and he had no idea where to find it.

"Are you looking for 9 ¾?" a soft voice behind him asked.

Harry turned around to a girl wearing a bright pink blouse. She was carrying a large suitcase and Harry could see her wand poking out from her pocket.

"Yeah, how did you know?" he stuttered.

"Not many Muggles carry an owl with them," she said motioning toward his white owl Hedwig, "and you're standing between 9 and 10 looking confused."

Harry nodded and she grabbed his hand and took him to the wall. Her hand was warm and when she released it the cold air of the station cooled it down. She put down her suitcase and looked at him.

"I'm also a first-year," she told him, "my name is Tracy, my parents work for the Ministry, but didn't have time to come with me. If you want to get to Platform 9 ¾, they told me we have to run through this wall."

"Through the wall?" Harry repeated.

"There's no time to explain, the train will leave in a few minutes," she said grabbing his hand and her suitcase.

Harry grabbed his stuff as Tracy ran toward the wall pulling him with her. Harry closed his eyes as he approached impact. Nothing happened. He opened his eyes to see that they were now in a different place. In front of him was a train labeled _Hogwarts Express._

"Come on," Tracy said, pulling him toward the train. They dropped their belongings off in front as they entered the train. Harry was blasted with cold air as he saw students crowding the carriage. Harry followed Tracy as they made their way through the full departments before two hands reached out and pulled them into one.

"Don't leave me with her!" a red-haired boy whispered to them as he let them go.

Harry looked opposite of them and saw a young girl reading a textbook. She looked at them and smiled big, showing off her large front teeth.

"Hi! I'm Hermione Granger!" she spit, extending her hand to Tracy.

Tracy scanned her for a few seconds before shaking her hand, "Tracy Hobblesworth," she said.

Hermione then turned to Harry and gave another chipmunk smile. Harry had never seen such an… interesting-looking person before. Besides the fact that she looked like a human rodent, her hair was big and bushy and overall looked a mess. However, since he had no friends he decided to not judge her.

"Hi, I'm Harry Potter," he said, shaking her hand.

"BLOODY HELL!" screamed the red-hair boy.

Harry and Tracy jumped back as the boy looked at him with big eyes. Hermione tried to hold back her excitement, causing her to look like a rabbit holding back a silent-but-deadly fart.

"You're really Harry Potter?" the boy asked.

"Yeah," Harry mumbled.

"I had no idea," Tracy said amazed.

"Well I'm MUGGLE-BORN!" Hermione shouted, "and even I'M excited to meet THE Harry Potter!"

Harry looked at the three individuals surrounding him. All of them giving him the same wide-eyed look of excitement that made him feel uncomfortable. He noticed the red-haired boy was looking up at his forehead, undoubtedly searching for his scar that every wizard has asked for him to show off. As Harry was about to open his mouth to say something, a blonde boy stepped into the room.

"What is this? A circus act?" the boy sneered.

The four young kids turned to him as he smirked at them. Harry was familiar with the type of person this kid was; someone who was pretentious, arrogant, and believed the world revolved around them. The wizard version of Dudley stood in front of him.

"The name's Draco," he boasted, "and there's really no need to introduce yourselves."

"How RUDE!" Hermione shrilled.

"Ok rabbit girl," he said, "and we also have ugly girl in pink, undoubtedly another fucking Weasley, and some homeless boy that found himself on the Hogwarts Express."

"That's Harry Potter you're speaking to!" Tracy said.

"Harry Potter?" Draco laughed, "you finally came out of hiding. Well, if we both get sorted into the same house then we might get along."

"I'd rather not," Harry said. Draco's smirk quickly turned into a frown. His whole demeanor changed and his upper lip began to curl.

"Fine then Potter! Enjoy yourself in boring Hufflepuff," he spat before leaving the room.

"Do doubt he'll be in Slytherin," Tracy sighed to the others.

"What are those? Slytherin and Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.

"Those are the Hogwarts houses!" Hermione shouted out before anyone else had a chance to say something, "according to the _Hogwarts: A History,_ when we arrive, all first years will be placed into one of the four Hogwarts houses."

"Yeah, and if we're all lucky we'll avoid being sorted into Slytherin," the red-haired boy stated, "by the way, I'm Ron Weasley."

The four of them continued to talk on their journey to Hogwarts. Sharing their family lives, what they're most excited for when they arrive at Hogwarts, and what the upcoming school year will have in store for them. As it started to get dark outside the train finally came to a stop at train station.

"We're here!" Ron exclaimed.

"This is Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"No, this is just the station, we still have to get to Hogwarts from here."

The four of them slipped their robes on and departed from the train. In the distance Harry could hear a familiar voice calling all the first years to him.

"Hagrid!" Harry shouted.

"Well hello there 'arry glad to see you made it," he said.

Hagrid continued to call for the first years until the platform was cleared, and then motioned them to follow him. They walked off of the platform and began walking toward a lake where several boats were aligned along the beach.

"Ok everyone, lets all-"

"OW!" Tracy screamed out.

"I'm sorry," an Indian girl next to her said.

"What happened?" Hagrid asked.

"She stepped on my foot!" Tracy yelled.

"It was an accident!" the girl exclaimed.

"I doubt it with the force you stomped onto me with," Tracy growled.

"Alright alright, lets stop fighting!" Hagrid yelled, "as I was saying, lets all get into these boats, we're running behind schedule."

Harry and Ron walked toward the closest boat as Hermione headed to a boat with some other girls. The Indian girl followed Tracy toward another boat causing Tracy to turn around to her.

"Why are you following me?" she yelled.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to start new and introduce myself, I'm Parvati Patil."

"I don't care!" Tracy muttered turning to the boat to see another girl that looked just like Parvati. "You're kidding me! There are two of you!"

Tracy tried turning around to another boat but ran into Hagrid. Bumping her face hard into his large thigh.

"Nope!" he said, "get in that boat! We're leaving!"

Tracy puffed and took a seat on the edge of the boat furthest from the Patil twins. Hagrid then went to each boat and pushed them out into the lake before getting into his own to lead the way. The lake was dark, and the half-moon above them was reflecting brilliantly into it. Harry and Ron looked out into the horizon; in the far distance they could see a large castle looming brightly. Gasps of the students filled the silent ambiance of the lake.

"Don't touch me!" someone screamed breaking the silence. Harry looked to his left to see Tracy getting in the face of Parvati.

"I said I didn't want to talk to you, yet you keep bothering me!" she continued.

"Ay, calm down!" Hagrid shouted.

"I don't know why you're so mad at me? I said I was sorry!"

"And I said to leave me alone," Tracy added.

"If you two don't stop, you'll both be getting detention!" Hagrid yelled over the two.

"Apparently I'm just not good enough to be able to talk to you," Parvati shouted back at Tracy before shoving her.

"I said leave me alone!" Tracy yelled grabbing her wand jabbing it into Parvati. A bright burst of white light blasted out of the end of her wand shooting Parvati out of the boat high into the air, before landing about fifty feet away into the water.

"Oh my God!" Harry said, as screams from the other boats drowned him out


End file.
